Lost and Found
by Naty17
Summary: Not long ago, Len was my other half; my twin, whom I loved more than anyone. We were inseparable; I never realized how dependent I was until I tried to stand on my own and came crashing down. We lost everything, our homes, our lives, and our relationship- and this time, there's no brother to make me feel better. In fact... I never had a brother to begin with. / (Re-write.)
1. Oblivion

**Lost and Found**

 **October 5th, 2015; 10:02 AM**

Oh man, long time no see. OwO"

I don't know if anyone will remember it, but this story was first published in 2011. Come 2013, and its updates were few and far as life became too, uhh... difficult, in a sense, to focus on anything else.

I may or may not be back from the dead, I guess. ^^" Right? Heh.

So anyway, to the important stuff: I considered continuing the old Lost and Found, but there's just so much I'm unhappy with concerning that story. I could revise it and keep all those precious reviews (muwahahaha~)... Or I could just start fresh. This way, people can still read the original version (despite its icky quality), but can also enjoy this (hopefully) improved version.

A lot will change. As I said, there was a lot in the original that I wasn't happy with, situations, characters, events that I could no longer change. Now, I have the chance to change everything. I'm going to take it. ^^ Let's hope this story will be even better than the one I began four years ago. I'm excited!

* * *

 **Chapter I:  
** **Oblivion**

* * *

 _If I sit and think about it, I can remember a lot of the things I've lost over time. For example, I lost my bouncy ball when I was four years old. It was colourful and beautiful and out of nowhere, it disappeared! I never saw it again, and sometimes, I wonder how often I would have used it had I not lost it. I probably would have forgotten about it eventually._

 _It's funny when I realize that I've probably lost many, many things. Even so, none of those things really personally affected me. I cried a little, but forgot the next day. Losing those things didn't really change my life._

 _This year, I lost something that changed my life. I lost a lot of things. I lost my home, my friends, my brother, myself, and... maybe even my life. This isn't just a bouncy ball; in such a short period of time, I lost everything. Everything I valued, everyone I held dear. Now, it's like it never existed in the first place._

 _Is this a nightmare? Will I wake up? Even though I want to, I can't seem to open my eyes. It's like I'm swimming through a cloud of cotton, and no matter how much I try to move, I don't get anywhere. I can barely control my actions and I can't really remember what happened. Where am I? How did I get here? Where is Len?_

 _Len..._

 _I want to reach for him. I want him to hold me, I want him to smile and tell me everything will be alright. I want to cry with him, I want to be with him, but at the same time, I can't. I was the one who walked away, wasn't I? It might have even been a mutual separation. Either way, it was unavoidable; whether we wanted to or not, things changed. We changed._

 _Everything we had was lost, and even if we really try, I'm not sure we'll ever find it. I don't think it's possible to go back to the way things were. I don't think I even want to go back. I just want to hide in the dark, disappear from this place..._

 _It's okay, Len. You don't have to care. You're not responsible for me; you no longer have anything to do with me._

 _What's lost can't always be found. We both know I doomed myself, so... don't come looking for me. ...You won't find anything._

* * *

"Are you excited?"

Rin grinned, swallowing her orange ice cream. "I can't wait! We're finally going to be high school students!" She glanced over at her twin brother and found him smiling at her. "I hope we have the same classes, right?"

"We took most of the same classes," he said, taking a lick of his banana cream treat, "so we should have at least a few together."

She made a face. "Look at him, trying to be all cool." She pinched his cheek between her fingers and grinned. "He's really excited too. Last night, he wouldn't stop talking about it!"

Len smacked her hand away. "Hey! You were just as bad!"

Miku watched them and rolled her eyes. "You're both such babies. It's just school, you know."

"You weren't much better last year," Luka remarked.

"'I'll be able to spend lunch with Kaito-senpai~!'" Kaito mimicked in a falsetto. "'Maybe if I roll my skirt up to my belly button, he'll notice me!'"

They all laughed as Miku turned beet red. "I-I never said that!"

"Your skirt was rolled abnormally high."

"Luka-senpai!" Miku became even redder. "Th-That was just an accident!"

Miku's crush was no secret. She'd followed the senior around since they'd all met, back in junior high. Ahh, that was so long ago... They'd been the five only members of the music club. Well... They called it a music club, but really, all they'd done was sing. They'd get together, sing the songs they loved, and talk until the sun set. It hadn't lasted long; Luka and Kaito had graduated the next year, and with only three members, Miku, Rin and Len hadn't qualified as an official club. So instead, they'd waited for their senpais to finish class and would get together at places like this ice cream parlor.

"It's been three years since we met," Rin mused out loud.

They all stopped and looked at her. "I guess you're right," Luka murmured.

"It sounds like a long time," Miku said, "doesn't it? But it doesn't feel like very long."

"But now that we're all in the same school again, it'll be just like back in middle school, right?" Len cocked his head. "Is there a music club there?"

"There is," Kaito said, humming a little. Out of the five, he had the most ice cream. Rin was amazed he could even balance his three scoops. If she'd been eating that, her top-most scoop would have fallen onto the floor within the first five minutes, at least! "Miku-chan is in it, but Luka and I..."

"We have to concentrate on our studies," Luka said, wiping her mouth on her napkin. "We're graduating this year."

There was silence. Graduation was something no one spoke of. To think that they'd be split up in less than a year...

"It's fun though," Miku said brightly. "There's other people in this one! You'll like them for sure." She leaned closer to Len and teased, "There's a lot of cute girls, too."

Rin watched carefully for his reaction. "Stop that..." He seemed embarrassed as he laughed, but he wasn't necessarily disagreeing... Did he want a girlfriend? Rin hadn't really thought of that. Len might actually find a girlfriend in high school. ...That didn't feel right at all! She didn't want to share him!  
Like he was reading her mind, he looked over at her and smiled. "You're still the cutest girl I know, Rin."

Luka and Kaito glanced at each other. Slowly, Luka shook her head.

The twins had always been very... affectionate, towards each other. It was fine when they were kids, but Luka had expected things would change as they grew older, that they'd start to annoy each other the way Luke annoyed constantly annoyed her. That change never happened. If anything, they'd become even closer in the recent years.

"Don't worry," Kaito exclaimed in an obvious attempt, "I'll find you a nice girl, Len. I'll teach you how to be a proper man!"

The blond made a face. "No thanks. I don't even want to _know_ who you'd try to set me up with."

Hmm. The two seniors exchanged another silent conversation. Kaito should probably talk to him later. Either way, things were fine, for now.  
"Did you get all your paperwork done?" Luka asked, changing the subject.

"Oh!" That reminded Rin. "It was so weird! Mom got everything arranged this morning, but..." She glanced at Len. "I guess she was missing a paper...?"

Len nodded. He wouldn't have brought it up, but it was strange. "They got into an argument over it." He paused. "Mom and Dad, I mean."

Rin nodded. "Because she didn't think she needed to bring it, and Dad said she did. I don't really get it; she could have brought it just in case, right? It wouldn't hurt." The twins looked at each other and shrugged.

"So you think your mother is in the wrong?"

Rin blinked. "I don't know, Senpai."

Luka nodded. "Well... They need your birth certificates, your passports..." She turned to Kaito and frowned. "Or do they...? Do you remember?"

Kaito shrugged. "My parents did it, not me."

"We had to bring our graduation papers from middle school," Len said thoughtfully. "You'd think they'd have that already in their computers..."

Luka checked her phone. "It's getting late, guys. You should probably get going."

Rin groaned. She didn't want to leave. She still had so much to talk about! She had no idea what high school would be like, and she needed to know! She had so many questions! Maybe she'd call Luka later. Luka knew everything, after all. "Aren't you coming, Senpai?"

Luka shook her head and smiled. "I have to help Kaito with one of the homework projects, so we'll stay back a few minutes."

"What?!" Kaito nudged her. "You mean _I'm_ helping _you_!"

"Don't be silly."

Miku stopped, hands at her side in hesitance. "I can help too, right?" Len smiled. She just wanted to be with Kaito for a few more minutes, right?

"No," Luka said quickly, "you'll just distract him. Besides..." She gave him a meaningful look; it almost looked like a glare. "We've got a lot to talk about." Her gaze flickered back at the junior girl, then avoided it entirely as she put a spoonful of pink ice cream into her mouth. It was mostly melted at this point.

"Oh. Okay," Miku said, her shoulders falling.

"It's still kind of cold, don't you think?"

Rin glanced up at the pink blooms. "I hope the sakura trees will be okay. We start school in a few days, and I definitely want the cherry blossoms to fall when I walk into high school. It'll be just like in the anime! Right, Miku?"

Miku was walking very slowly. "You know what I just realized?" she asked. "They said they were working on a project for homework... right?" She was hesitating like she was unsure. The twins nodded for her to continue. "...It's spring break. We don't have any homework."

Rin's lips formed a small 'o'. "You're right. Huh. Ha! They totally got us, didn't they? Wait... Luka-senpai and Kaito-senpai, all alone..." She looked over at Len. "Do you think they're dating?"

Miku's expression of shock was hilarious. She stared urgently at the younger boy, waiting for his reply. It couldn't be, could it? But didn't Luka know how Miku felt? "Definitely not," Len said, and Miku let out a breath of relief.

"How do you know?"

This wasn't so easy to answer. He walked a few more steps, staring at his feet. "...She doesn't think that way about Kaito."

"Yeah, but how do you know?" Rin insisted, stepping in front of him so he'd be forced to look up. She gasped. "Does she like someone? And you know who it is?" He hesitated and Rin took that as his response. "No way! Why wouldn't you tell me? Who is it?"

"Luka-senpai likes someone?" So Miku didn't know either! How did Len know, then? "Did she tell you that?"

"No," he said, seeming relieved that he could finally answer something. "She didn't tell me anything like that. Senpai doesn't talk about those kinds of things." He flicked Rin in the forehead. "You're getting way too ahead of yourself."

"But she does like someone, right?" Rin insisted, bouncing in place. "We should set them up together!"

"She doesn't like anyone, Rin," Len said. "Not that I know of, at least."

"You're lying! I know you know!"

"I don't."

"You do!"

"I don't."

"This is where we split," Miku interrupted them. The twins stopped and stared at the big stop sign. Here, Miku would go right and the twins would continue straight.

"Aww... I don't wanna go home, yet!" She ran forth and gave Miku a hug.

"Aw, Rin-chan, you're too cute!" They squeezed each other tightly as Len awkwardly stood around. "Don't worry guys, I'm going to spend my whole spring break with you guys! Maybe tomorrow, we can go to the beach? Or do you think it's too cold, still?"

"It's probably too cold."

We never did get to go to the beach.

"Come on, Len, Dad's going to get mad at us if we're late!"

"Is he even-? Oh. His car is in the driveway. I thought he was working today?" They both stopped and looked at each other. Dad rarely ever missed work. In fact, he was a workaholic, constantly bringing extra papers home to complete.

"Why do you think he's home early?"

To tell the truth, he wasn't scheduled to work today. He'd told them last night that he was going to work extra hours. Maybe he'd decided not to after all. "...I don't know."

You could hear the shouting from outside; not enough to decipher to words, but loud enough to know something bad was going on inside. "Again," Rin murmured, pressing her hand against the front door.

"... Do you want to wait a while?" Len asked, already starting down the drive. "We could go to the park."

"No, it's fine." She began slipping her bag off her shoulders. "We'll just go upstairs."

He already knew he would lose this battle. Rin was incredibly stubborn; if Miku hadn't interrupted them earlier, she would have pestered Len about Luka's romantic life all the way home. "Be quiet, though. And if it gets too bad, we're leaving."

She opened the front door as quietly as she could and they slipped their shoes off at the front door.

"You're just being stubborn!" they heard their father yell from the kitchen. "You know it's stupid, but you're too fucking stubborn to let it g-"

" **Don't you dare swear at me!** They're notold enough!"

The twins looked at each other, realizing their parents were probably talking about them.

"And when _will_ they be?" Their father sounded exasperated, like they'd been discussing this for a while already. "When they're _eighty_?! They've been old enough for years; _you're_ the one who keeps stalling. Either we tell them, or they'll find out on their own and get mad at us for _not_ telling them. You get that, right?"

Rin glanced over at her brother, frowning. 'What?' she mouthed. He shook his head and began putting her things away for her. They really shouldn't eavesdrop on things like this...

"You don't know that. You're just trying to bully me into it! I'm not falling for it!"

"You're being an idiot. Are you really that naive?! If you don't tell them, then I _will_ , and-"

The sound of a door slamming made Rin jump- but it hadn't come from the kitchen, like she'd expected. She turned and saw Len at the front door, his hand still on the knob. His face... He was upset. He looked at her and she knew he'd had enough of eavesdropping. He'd never liked hearing them argue.

"...They're home."

Their father whispered something, and then the sliding door to the kitchen was opened. They walked out with guilty looks and met their children in the front.

Mother's eyes were red-rimmed and swollen; she'd been crying. Her skin was clean though, no cuts or bruises. Thank goodness. Len would always worry when things escalated this much. "Welcome home," she greeted quietly.

"Thanks," Len mumbled. His father avoided all eye-contact, arms crossed and strong standing.

The twins stood closely to each other, unsure of what to say or do. Finally, Len spoke: "We have some homework to work on."

Rin looked up at him, thinking he and Luka were probably more alike than she'd thought. Maybe that was how he knew who she liked. "Y-Yeah. We'll just be upstairs." She took her brother's hand and lead him up to their room, feeling their parents' eyes on them the entire way.

 _"See? I told you they'd find out."_

Rin lay on her bed. "...What was that about?"

Len shrugged off his shirt and grabbed his pajamas from the drawer. After a minute's thinking, he was honest and said, "I don't know."

It was bothering her. A lot. "They're hiding something from us." She watched him walk to the bathroom. "You heard them, right?"

"Of course I heard them. It was hard not to."

He was trying to be casual, but it was bothering him a lot more than he let on. She knew it was; she could hear it in his voice. "You really don't know what it was?"

"Could always be about our birthday presents or something."

"Yeah right." She scoot over to give him room on their bed, then snuggled up to him. "...Should we be worried, do you think?"

"Nah." Well, he wasn't completely certain, but they were probably overthinking it. "Maybe we're moving."

"They talked about you a lot."

"Yeah."

She nuzzled her face into his chest, then looked up at him. "Are you scared?"

He laughed at little, like he was embarrassed, and pet her hair. "Maybe a little. I just want to stop thinking about it. It's probably something little."

"...Okay." She wanted to keep talking about it though, figure out what was going on and seek reassurance. "She had something in her hand."

"Mm?"

"A paper or something."

"Mmhm."

He didn't want to talk about it. Okay. Okay... She wrapped her arm around him and squeezed. "I love you Len."

"Love you too."

That made her feel a little better. Right, what was happening downstairs wouldn't matter, so long as she had Len by her side. He was so warm... As long as Len was with her, everything would be alright.

Even if they were going to bed at five o' clock, without dinner.

...Maybe she'd sneak out later and grab a bite to eat.

* * *

"...You do realize we can't have homework, right? Because it's spring break?" Kaito licked his ice cream and grinned at her. "I just realized. Do you think they'll notice?" She turned her blue eyes towards him and her lips parted a little. Oh. So she wanted to be serious. ...Bleh. "What's going on?"

She scraped the sides of her plastic bowl. Her ice cream had melted by now. "It's our last year."

"Mmhm." If Kaito didn't hurry up a little, his frozen treat would end up like Luka's. "What about it?"

She stared out the window at her juniors' retreating figures. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Without us? For sure. They're not as dependent on us as they were." He sighed. "Remember how they used to cling to us in middle school? That was the cutest thing, we were like a mommy and daddy, right?"

She smiled a little at the thought. "Miku would be upset if she heard you say that. She'd want to be your wife instead."

He laughed. "She'd be even more upset if she heard you saying that!"

Luka flipped her pink hair over her shoulder and pushed her unfinished bowl into the center of the table. "So... What are you going to do about that?"

"About Miku?" Chocolate dripped from his cone onto the table and he groaned, grabbing a napkin wit his other hand. "I don't know. Why?"

"Well, what do you think of her?"

He pushed his dirty napkin into her strawberry cup and tilted his head. "Hm?"

She grabbed her red plastic spoon and traced patterns on the table. "You know she likes you. Do you like her too, now? Or is she still too much like a little sister?"

"Hmm..." He cocked his head as he thought. "Yeah, Miku-chan's still my cute little sister, but... Geez, she really isn't that little anymore." He laughed. "None of them are, when I think about it. I guess I never stopped seeing them as those cute little middle school kouhais. She's not a little kid anymore though, is she?"

Luka wasn't sure how to answer that. She tapped the spoon against the table, listening.

"...Hm." He thought about it. "I guess I should stop thinking of her like that. I don't know. _Maybe_." He brushed his hair out of his eyes and focused again. "Not unless she asks, though. I'm not going to ask her out, but I'll think about it if she asks me. If she's brave enough, I mean." He paused, thinking about it again. "...Yeah."

Luka kept her gaze on her spoon, tapping it, feeling it rebound off the table's surface. "That's nice." What else was she supposed to say? Then again, she'd brought it up in the first place.

"So what did you _really_ want to talk about?"

She looked up in surprise. "Huh-?"

He leaned his palm into his hand, smirking at her. "I've known you since elementary school. I can tell when something's bothering you."

Of course he could. Duh. "No, it was just that," she insisted and smiled. "I promise." What she really wanted to ask him was too personal. It'd be rude to ask him, especially in public, so... She decided she would wait a while. "We should probably go now."

"Mmhm."

* * *

Mom was still crying.

Rin listened to the sounds. She'd been listening for a while; the shouting, the anger, the soft sounds of Len's breathing. It all kept her awake.

She wasn't completely convinced of Len's innocence; _**something**_ was going on, and Len seemed to know everything sometimes, so he surely couldn't be that oblivious. Or maybe he was. Maybe she should trust him. If he knew, he'd tell her, right? Not if it was to protect her. Eh... Should she keep bugging him about it?

Len shifted in his sleep like he was trying to roll onto his side, but having Rin on his chest made that difficult. He relaxed and let out a deep, sleepy breath.

How could he sleep so easily? He probably didn't think the issue was worth worrying about. After all, Mom and Dad fought all the time. Maybe it was something small, then. But, despite that reassurance, Rin couldn't help but disagree. Something just... didn't feel right. It was like a tickle in the back of her mind, she couldn't really stop worrying about it. Every time she closed her eyes and began to drift, she would think about that argument again, hearing her name being yelled from outside.

What were they arguing about? What could they possibly be hiding? Hadn't the twins been taught that secrets were bad, never to lie?

She squeezed her brother, nuzzling her face into his chest. She could hear his heart beat. Thump... Thump... Thump...

It shouldn't matter. Maybe they were moving far away, and that would be very sad, but as long as Len was with her... it wouldn't matter. As long as she had Len, she'd be happy.

* * *

 _I should have just left it alone. I should have put it out of my mind, like Len had. I should have just ignored it, lived my life as normal, and been happy. Life would have continued on, we would have been obliviously happy and things would never have changed._

 _Now where am I? Where are you? Why are we so far away from each other...?_

 _I don't think I can do this without you, Len. I can't control myself. I'm not mature or responsible enough, I'm not as independent as you are. I need someone to rely on, because my legs are too shaky to stand on my own. I miss you so much. Please help me. Save me, please. Save me from myself. Find me, before I break myself. Even though I've done so much already, please don't give up on me, please don't look at me this way... Please... Stop walking away..._

* * *

 **October 5th, 2015; 10:30 AM**

Phew! Oh man, I finished!

It's funny, because I don't have too much to really talk about right now. Boop! Oh well.

I wanted to quickly compare this rewritten chapter to its original. In the original story, chapter one took place on their last day of school, the day before summer (I'd used the Western school system rather than the Japanese system, due to not really knowing how it worked). Luka, Kaito and Miku were introduced, but not very developed, and the chapter was much more light and humorous. The twins got home from school, overheard their parents talking, and pretended they hadn't. I suppose it's very similar to this rewritten version, but the argument here was much harsher. Here, Luka and Kaito had a nice talk. I'm hoping to develop Kaito more than I had in the original and make him a little more interesting.

I'll probably do comparisons like this at the end of each chapter, if I choose to continue. Maybe. Ha, I don't know, really. ^^ I'm very unsure, but also a little excited.

If you want to see me continue, please, tell me. There's nothing better than reading a review of someone telling you they enjoyed your work and appreciate the time and effort you put into it, or even better, telling you how you could improve. What did you like? What didn't you like? What would you like to see? What should I change? I'd love to know your opinions.

At any rate, if all goes well, I'll be here. :)

Love,  
~Nat

* * *

(1) _"...It's spring break. We don't have any homework."_  
So, ha ha, this was actually my mistake. I wrote the homework excuse and then realized after they left that, wait a sec- it's still spring break! And no one noticed?! Haha, so I decided to fix my mistake, while keeping it.

* * *

 **If you enjoyed this, please leave a review!**


	2. Bliss

**Lost and Found**

 **December 28th, 2015; 2:35 PM**

This chapter really gave me hell.

A lot of you have probably already read the original story, and so this isn't much of a surprise twist for you. But, some of you will be first-time readers- in which case, this might be huge. Maybe. I don't know, heh. Either way, it's been difficult to find a way to appeal to both these different kinds of readers.

Something like this - I call the issue in question ' _this'_ because I don't want to spoil anything - is really complex. Everyone would understandably become very emotional. The struggle is figuring out how to explain it, how everyone will appropriately react to its reveal... I find that's been the most difficult part, Rin and Len's reactions. It's beyond my experience; it's been difficult to picture it.

At the same time, it feels like everything is happening so fast! For that reason, I decided to give readers more time to adjust; I split the chapter in two. Apologies in advance; this one will probably seem pretty short. Sorry about that. ^^" I know you've been waiting a while, so I feel like I might be disappointing you all a little to have kept this small. I think it's for the best, though. I'm trying hard to make this all as realistic and improved as I can.

* * *

 **Chapter II:  
Bliss**

* * *

There'd been a time when we'd all lived obliviously.

 _Tucked into bed beside her brother, Rin remembered listening to her mother's soothing voice as she recounted their favourite fairy tale. "And so Hansel and Gretel followed the trail of breadcrumbs they'd left behind, all the way back to their father, who promised never to leave them again-"_

 _"But did he keep the promise?" Rin had been the one to ask. She remembered squeezing Len's hand, eyes glued expectantly to her knowledgeable mother's face. Len had been wondering the same thing, she could tell; Rin was often the mouthpiece for the both of them, voicing the thoughts Len was too shy to say himself._

 _Miriam's mouth dropped, unsure for a moment of how to answer. "I... Well, I guess he must have, right?" She smiled at them, ruffling their hair. "After all, he promised them, right? So he had no choice but to keep it."_

 _If only that was the way the rules worked in real life._

"Ooh look!" Miku waved her phone, her swing jerking oddly with her movements. "Look at what my horoscope says today! I've got four hearts in the love section, four out of five!"

"Well that's good," Luka praised, leaning against the the swings' structure. They'd been at the park for hours, like old times, talking endlessly about whatever came to mind.

Miku beamed. "It says, 'Keep up the good work, your crush is noticing your efforts.'" She couldn't help a small smile as her cheeks heated, and she tried to discreetly glance at her crush in question... which was difficult to do when everyone else was doing the same.

Kaito pretended not to notice, suddenly very focused on the dirt before him. Knowing he wouldn't get away so easily, he looked up very suddenly after a few seconds, trying to act oblivious. "What?"

They all smiled, humouring him as they giggled under their breath. He glanced at Miku questionately, trying to catch her eye. "Seriously, what is it?" As if he didn't know. Luka noticed his embarrassment and tried to hide her smile as she watched them.

Meanwhile, the twins sat in the swings to Miku's left. "They're cute," Rin whispered to her brother. Kaito was bothering Miku right now, teasing her about being 'too young' to handle horoscopes, or something like that. "It makes me wish I had a senpai to crush on too."

That caught her overprotective brother's attention. "Really?" he asked, looking up at her with wide blue eyes. He wasn't sure whether to panic or play it cool, deciding to choose the latter.

Rin smiled at his reaction. "Don't worry." She leaned over, bumping her swing against the side of his. "You're still my favourite."

 _The fairy tale Miriam had told them as children had been rewritten and made appropriate for young minds: In the real fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel never found their way back. It was the true ending the twins had always refused to acknowledge._

Kaito walked closer to the swings, leaning over Miku's shoulder. "What does my horoscope say, then?"

"Hm?" Miku scrolled through her phone, well aware of Kaito's sudden proximity (though trying desperately to act normal). "You're an Aquarius, right?" she asked Kaito, who shrugged.

"If it says I am."

"You are." They were both surprised at Luka's voice, having for a moment forgotten they weren't alone. Luka's cobalt eyes focused on Kaito and even though she didn't say anything, he swore he could feel her scolding him. Still, she didn't mention anything. "Our birthdays are close; I'm an Aquarius too." To Miku, she smiled. "Read it out loud, I want to hear what mine says as well."

Oblivious to the unheard interaction between the oldest members, Miku hummed, quickly scanning the words on her screen. "It says, 'Now is the time to confess; the stars are all in your favour! If you wait too long, you'll miss your chance.'" She looked up. "For school, you've got three stars out of five, for money, you have three stars, for luck, you have _four_ stars, and for love..." She smiled a little. "Four stars... just like me!"

Luka noted the unnecessary comparison. "Hmm... Now is the time to confess, hm?" For some reason, she found that funny.

Kaito caught her gaze. In response, Luka rolled her eyes and shook her head. Kaito made a face, jerking his chin.

Meanwhile, Len and Rin observed quietly. "What do you think they're saying?" Rin asked. He didn't answer; she looked up and found him concentrating on them, silently deciphering. Oh well, she smiled. He'd tell her later, once he figured it out.

 _The breadcrumbs Hansel and Gretel had so discreetly trailed behind them had quickly been eaten by crows, and they'd stood outside the candy house lost and confused._

"Miku-senpai, tell me mine!"

The blue-haired girl nodded, elongating her legs and suddenly raising her feet so that she began to swing forward, clutching her phone around the chains. "December 27th... You and Len are Capricorn!" She scrolled, being careful not to kick Kaito as she swung back. "Hmm... 'Do not dwell on the finer details; you need to support and be supported. Focus on the big picture.'" She paused, her swing slowing a little. "That makes me feel a little bad... Ours were good, but yours sounds so serious."

"Eh?!" Rin kicked the ground. "Does that mean we're cursed?!"

"I don't think that's how it works..."

"For school," Miku read, "you only have one star!" She frowned. "That's terrible! But then again, we're still on spring break, so I guess it should be fine..."

Rin gripped the swing chains. "Well, if our bad luck is only in school, I guess that's okay, then."

"For money, you have four stars, which is really good. For luck, you have five stars!" Miku's eyes went wide. "Wow, that's amazing!"

"You should go to a casino," Kaito teased. "Four stars in money, five stars in luck? You could win us a fortune!"

"They're not old enough," Luka scolded.

"Didn't you hear _our_ horoscope?" he turned and retorted. "If we wait too long, we'll miss our chance!" He started laughing. "The cosmics are giving us a sign! So what if it's illegal? We've gotta take a chance, the divine powers are insisting!"

"Senpai, shush!" Rin growled at him. She stood animately, focused on her own fortune. "Miku-senpai, what does it say for love?"

She'd been talking like that for a while now, Len noticed. Now that they were starting high school, Rin had suddenly become determined to find herself a boyfriend, or at least someone she could crush on. Personally, he didn't see the point; she had plenty of friends, what did she need a boyfriend for? It wasn't like he would suddenly rush out to get a girlfriend; if Len was by her side, why would she need anyone else?

"Sorry Rin-chan... it says you only have two stars for love..."

"Ehh?! So we _**are**_ cursed!"

 _We used to always compare ourselves to Hansel and Gretel, cute blond twins, a boy and a girl just like us. I guess in reality, we were just as lost as our fictional counterparts, drawn to superficial candy houses because we had no other leads. Satisfied by promises of care and sweets, we barely noticed the charms the evil witch laid upon us..._

"Is it really bothering you that much?" Len asked on their way home. "That you only got two stars in love?"

"You only got two stars too!" Rin replied angrily. "You got the bad luck too!"

Actually, they'd been predicted excellent luck, if he remembered well, but he didn't mention it. "It's not so bad. I'd rather be low in love than low in school." But then again, they _had_ gotten low predictions for school, hadn't they? Maybe Rin was right, maybe they couldn't win after all. ...Nah, that was a little pessimistic.

"Well of course _you_ can say that," Rin exclaimed, "you don't even _care_ about love right now!"

He let her fume another few steps, then asked, "Why do you want a boyfriend so bad?"

"Hmm..." Calming down from her mock fury, she sighed a little, then met his gaze. "You don't want one?"

"A girlfriend? Mm, not really."

She watched him, cocking her head as they walked. "I... I don't know," she said simply, returning her gaze to the sidewalk ahead of them. "Maybe I read too much shojo manga." She giggled. "It just seems nice to have someone there to tell you cheesy things and spoil you like crazy."

"I spoil you like crazy."

She glared at him. "You know what I mean. Family doesn't count, silly. You _have_ to spoil me!" He began to sulk and she realized maybe that's what it was, maybe he wanted to be the _only one_ to spoil her. "Hey, are you getting jealous?" She laughed as he sputtered.

"Well, what?" he finally admitted, embarrassed. "I don't want anyone else to have you..."

She looped her arm around his, leaning on him lovingly. "It's okay, Len. You're still my favourite, no matter what!"

 _Even now, we're still following trails of breadcrumbs that lead us nowhere._

"Just think, though, only a few more days, and then we'll be high school students!"

"Mm. It's a little weird." He gently ruffled her hair. "Feels like it's all happening really fast. ...Do you remember, when Luka and Kaito-senpai started going to high school, and our music club was disbanded? We used to go to that park all the time, the one we were just at."

"And we'd sing together there instead of in a club," Rin mused, thinking back to it. "It seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?" She let out a small laugh at the memories. "We weren't really that good, were we?"

"You were always so loud, always trying to overshadow everyone else."

"Hey! That's not true!" She paused, thinking it over, then blushed. "Okay... maybe a little true. But that's only because everyone else was so quiet!"

"Luka used to get so embarrassed." Len smiled at the memory. "She used to be the quietest, never wanting anyone to hear her voice. She's better now, don't you think?"

Rin nodded, closing her eyes and picturing it. "Luka-senpai has such a nice voice too. It's so smooth and calming... I wish Luka would sing me lullabies at night, I'd fall asleep right away if she did!"

They walked a little longer. Inspired by their memories, Len began to hum a tune. "Watashi no chou fukisoku ni tobimawari..." He smiled at her, knowing she recognized the song. "Anata no te ni rinpun wo tsuketa!"

"Karami au yubi hodoite," Rin joined. Ah, her voice was a little rusty! She hadn't really had time to sing lately, not for real. "Kuchibiru kara shite he to... Yurusarenai koto ga naraba, naosara, moe agaru no!"

They laughed, singing the song's chorus together like old times. If she closed her eyes, she could picture herself back in that park, dressed in her middle school uniform, Luka, Kaito and Miku clapping to the beat of their song. "Kisu wo shite, nurikaete hoshii..." Harmonizing like this with her twin brother, these were probably the happiest times in her life. "Miwaku no toki ni yoishire... oborete itai no!"

He took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "I still like your voice best," he said proudly.

"You _have_ to say that though," Rin teased. "Because you're my brother."

 _Lost and confused, following breadcrumb trails that no longer existed..._

They took off their shoes at the door, shedding their coats in the warmth of home.

Little did they know, Hansel and Gretel's worlds were about to be shattered. Lost in the forest, it was only a matter of time before the big bad wolf scooped them up. _'As long as we have each other...'_ Did they have each other? Or would that be taken from them too?

"Rin, Len? Is that you?"

"We're home!"

Their mother hovered by the kitchen door as if scared to pass its threshold. She watched her children and felt her heart grow heavier by the minute, knowing that soon, they wouldn't be looking at her with such concern. Surely, they'd hate her if she told them.

"Sit down," the twins' father said, appearing behind her. "Your mother and I have to talk to you."

Rin and Len exchanged glances, frowning. What was this about? Were they in trouble? Could it be about their argument the other day? Rin's eyes widened at the thought of that, somewhat excited at the possibility of answers. Quickly, the twins sat on the couch, Leon perching himself on the coffee table. Their mother, evermore sophisticated, carried over a stool instead, nervously bopping her husband on the head for his laziness.

Leon laughed a little, squeezing her hand reassuringly. She'd be fine. They'd get this over with, and by next week at the latest, everything would be settled again. Everything would be perfectly okay.

If only she could have his confidence.

She decided to take in the site of her children sitting together, holding each other's hand on that couch, closing her eyes and making sure she could remember every detail, just... in case. Rin's hair was a little messy, maybe from the wind, maybe from being ruffled or played with. Len's curious look, those beautiful blue eyes that had captured everyone's attention even as a baby. The way he watched, calculated, deduced so intelligently...

She wondered if he already knew what she was about to tell him. He was so smart, he might have already figured it out. Oh, how she hoped that was true. How she wished she could tell them everything and have them laugh and exclaim, 'Geez mom, we already knew all of that!'

Rin frowned, sensing Miriam's awkwardness. "What's wrong, mom...?"

Panicking a little, she turned to her husband, silently pleading with him. Not now. She wasn't ready to tell them now! Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year, but... not _now_...!

He squeezed her hand tighter, nodding encouragingly. She could see his response in his green eyes: If not now, then when? It'd be best to get it over with. _You can do it._

She knew he was right; they wouldn't be able to hide it from them forever, no matter how hard she tried. It would be best to let Len adjust while he was still young and at home, where she could nurture him. The longer he spent not knowing, the more devastating it would be when he found out...

This was for the best: that's what she had to believe.

"There's something we need to tell you."

* * *

 **December 28th, 2015; 3:08 PM**

It's as I said, painfully short.

Then again, the original story also had this part end on a cliffhanger. Let's call it, a tribute! No? That's not a good enough excuse? Haha, sorry. ^^"

I don't have very much to say about this chapter right now. In a way, maybe I'm rushing through this first twist. It's been very troublesome, and... eh. The story only truly starts after the almighty calling, right? I can't wait. I've much unplanned after they set out, so it'll be much like the original Lost and Found: an adventure into the unknown.

I don't know what to expect either. Isn't that the most exciting part of an adventure? I can't wait. ^^

Love,  
~Naty17

 **December 28th, 2015; 3:36 PM**

Now that I'm actually checking its word count, it's not actually as short as I feared, is it? 2856 words… Thank goodness. ^^" That makes me feel better~

* * *

 **Please review to let me know what you think, it would certainly be appreciated.**


	3. Bonds

**Lost and Found**

 **January 25th, 2016; 11:00PM**

This is kind of random, but today is the birthday of my elementary school sweetheart. I wonder how he's doing now...? I've heard he's handsome, but he always has been. I wonder, is he a jerk now? Is he still as moody as he used to be? Does he have a girlfriend? There are a lot of people I've lost touch with - I always tend to lose touch with others - so today is one of those moments when I wonder what their lives are like without me. He was a good friend. Maybe I'll try to message him somewhere, get back in touch. Probably not, though. Hmm.

Anyway, welcome back. ^^ This is chapter three. It's... hm. Considerably more dramatic. Or is it? I can't really remember the original version, haha... OTL  
For those of you who have read the original, you already know our secret here. I wrote with that in mind, so I really hope those of you reading for the first time won't get the short end of the stick. It wasn't exactly a big, bold lettered "THIS IS IT" kind of cliff-hanger, which I'm sure you might have preferred, but you already got one of those last chapter, right? It's just, it wouldn't be that surprising for someone who's already read it. I don't know, really. Hmm...

I've been trying to come up with a naming scheme for the chapters in this story. In my story, Dust in the Corner, I had this fun scheme in which every character had their own title: The Princess, The Prophet, The Umbrella, etc. Each chapter's title would refer to the character somehow, like 'The Princess's Grudge'... except I hadn't made it completely clear which character was which. It was kind of like a guessing game~ Or, at least, _I_ enjoyed it. But I digress.

I'd started by giving these chapters simple, one-word titles: 'Oblivion' and 'Bliss', but doesn't that sound lame? I thought about having them all begin with 'As' or 'And so', like 'As I awake', 'As I depart', 'As I mourn', for example. But, eh. Another idea was to have them be named 'A Boy, insertword, And A Girl, insertotherword'. It just seems kind of long, doesn't it? Hm. I don't know.

I'll go with another one-word title for now, but if any of you can think of a creative theme, please suggest it to me! (Maybe each chapter could be named after a colour...? _Ehh..._ )

* * *

 **Chapter III:  
** **Bonds**

* * *

It seemed like just yesterday.

Expecting Rin to be born in a few months, Miriam had decided it was time to learn how to be a mother. She'd read the parenting books thousands of times, but one couldn't become an amazing painter simply by reading about it: She had to experience it.

Ann had been a friend in college. Hearing her complain, she suggested Miriam come visit her at work one day. Her boss wouldn't mind Miriam volunteering and she promised it would be educational.

Ann worked at an orphanage.

It had seemed like a good idea.

She remembered how she'd panicked when Ann told her to bathe one of the babies. Just like that? But she had no idea how! She wasn't even sure how to pick them up without dropping them! Ann had turned to her and said sternly, "You're going to be a mother! Either figure it out, or you can drop your girl on our doorstep the moment she's born!" It had been harsh, but Miriam supposed she needed it. Her insecurities were overwhelming her lately; maybe she just needed to prove she really could do it.

There were four cribs in that room, the first room of many. The two children nearest to the door had already been bathed; the third was being cleaned right now. That left one. She walked up nervously towards the last crib, nearly afraid to look, as if her gaze would turn the precious being to stone.

In the bed lay a small blond-haired baby. He was asleep peacefully, thumb pressed to his pink lips. He seemed much smaller than his roommates and couldn't have been more than a year old. Was she allowed to handle such a fragile life? She wasn't sure what to do.

She reached into the crib, extremely hesitant. Part of her expected the baby to begin screaming at the first touch of her cold hands, so just to try, she brushed a finger over his small cheek. He was so soft... She pet his thick blond hair. It reminded her of her own blond hair, the way it fluffed up. The thought made her smile a little... they were alike, somehow.

Mustering her courage, she slid one hand under his arm, behind his small back. That alone would have been enough to lift him, he was so light. Remembering Ann's advice, she brought her hand further up to caress his neck and support his head. Her other hand slid beneath his bottom and she lifted him so effortlessly, he'd might as well have been floating.

Roused by her warmth, the baby slowly opened his eyes. She gasped; they were a beautiful, strong blue. They stood out and captivated her attention. They were so bright... His eyes locked onto her face and he just stared. He had little to no reaction, yet she tensed anyway. What was he thinking? Was she doing something wrong? The way he just stared... He pursed his lips and closed his eyes again, long lashes fluttering to meet his cheek. She took a deep breath, heart racing from this moment.

"It took you long enough," Ann had snapped when she finally heard the door open. She turned sharply, ready to scold the young mother. "What were you doi-...?" Oh. _...Oh._ For once, snarky Ann had gone speechless. There was something about Miriam when she'd walked through the door, that little boy in her arms. Miriam stared at him as though he was a miracle, her face filled with awe and wonder. Just watching them made Ann feel... something. It was touching, somehow, to watch them together. Anyone could tell they'd formed some sort of connection.

The baby looked up at Miriam with those big blue eyes, blinking as though only now taking her in. Slowly, he squirmed, clenching his little left fist before reaching it upwards, unclenching and reaching his fingers out towards her, like a small flower reaching towards the sun.  
He was reaching towards her.  
Miriam wasn't sure what to do. Did he want her hand? It was underneath him, supporting his light weight. Was he trying to touch her face? Should she try and lean down?  
She didn't get the time to decide before he retracted his offer, tucking his thumb inside his mouth and closing his eyes again.

Miriam watched in wonder. "Does he have a name?"

"Len."

"Len," she repeated softly. Softly, ever so softly...

* * *

Rin lay staring at the sky.

It'd been about thirty minutes, and she was sure Len hadn't returned yet. He hadn't come back to look for her, either. He'd _abandoned_ her.

...But then again. They were strangers now, weren't they? It didn't matter what she felt.

She'd hesitated, wanting to run out after him. And she _had_ followed him, hadn't she? She was outside after all. But she wasn't running anywhere. She'd followed him out and ventured in the opposite direction, collapsed on the grassy park, cried... The swings were creaking in the wind. She thought about how, not so many hours prior, she'd been on those swings, laughing here with friends, enjoying their company without a care in the world... Somehow, it felt like forever ago.

She could barely see the stars. _"See that one there? You can't see it very well, but that bright star is Castor. And beside it, that's his brother, Pollux."_ She remembered snuggling with Len under a warm blanket as her mother taught them. _"They're part of a constellation. Do you know what it's called?"_

"Gemini," Rin breathed in answer, looking desperately for the stars in the dark sky above her. _The sign of the twins._ _ **Their**_ sign. But the clouds were too thick; Castor and Pollux hid away behind the shadows of the night. Her guiding charm had abandoned her just like her brother had- if she could even call him that.

Rin wasn't sure if she believed in symbolism, but the fact that the twins were invisible to her tonight struck a nerve somewhere inside, dug the knife in even deeper, left her feeling that much more alone... Then again, she rarely could see them. Light-years away, they were hardly visible even on the best of days. But right now was a time when she _needed_ them, needed a sign so desperately, she could cry.

 _There are no twins._

No words had ever sounded truer.

She was upset, confused, furious, betrayed... All the emotions were taking their toll and as soon as she closed her eyes, she felt herself dissociating, drifting out from her physical body as though falling asleep.

The thoughts swirled in her head, and amongst all the questions, the denials, she thought of Len.

Somewhere, he probably lay just like her. Was he also looking at the stars? Probably not. Did his heart hurt like hers? Probably. Hopefully. Maybe?

Her head ached. A whimper bubbled in her throat, threatening to release into another broken sob.

 _There are no twins,_ she repeated in her mind, over and over again like a mantra. _There are no twins. There are no twins. There are no twins. There are no twins..._

 _...We're not twins._

Her cries broke the deafening silence.

* * *

Maybe it was his beautiful gold hair. Maybe it was those big watery eyes, or maybe it was the way he'd stop crying when she held him. Sometimes, when she smiled at him, he'd smile back, ever so slightly, shyly, like he was unsure, and she always wanted to see him do it again, always tried her best to make him smile.

She spent all her time with him. Whenever she finished work early, she would walk to the orphanage and reach into Len's crib, singing him lullabies and showering him with all the love and attention she could give.

He rarely ever cried, so when he would, Miriam would be the first there to calm him and give him whatever he desired. She spoiled him, loved him. He'd begun reaching towards her more often, and he'd cry when it was time to go. It hurt so much to leave him, to hear him shriek as he left her warm embrace and went back alone to his cold crib.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't keep leaving him behind.

"You did your best," Leon pet her hair. Neither had moved, still sat on the couch after their children had deserted them. He kept murmuring those comforts in her ear, assuring her everything would be okay, everything would be fine. "They're just shocked."

It had started off more as a bad habit; Rin being only several months younger than her adopted brother, Miriam had always called them 'her twins'. There hadn't seemed to be any point in explaining to them what adoption meant. So they grew up calling each other brother and sister, and by the time she realized they fully believed in their mutual blood... well, it seemed like it would only be harmful to explain the truth to them.

She'd waited far too long. Maybe she should have just born the bad news to them early. Maybe she should have corrected their mistake as soon as they'd made it, made it abundantly clear that they were not bonded the way they'd assumed they were.

Leon had always encouraged her to do so. Pressured her to correct them. But she couldn't do it. She kept seeing that shy baby boy, whose mother had abandoned her and had nothing in this world to call his own. Drifting along, waiting for someone, _anyone_... He reminded Miriam of herself, of her own drifting. She wanted to give him those things; a family, a life, the world (if it was possible).

"It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine."

Would it?

"It's not your fault... You did everything you could. Please don't cry... It's going to be okay, Miriam. It's okay. Don't cry..."

* * *

 _There aren't any bonds as tight and suffocating as blood._

 _Whether you like it or not, you're bonded. Whether you love or hate each other, you can't escape, because you're bonded._

 _Because you're bonded, you understand each other. You are at each other's side. You raise each other, you grow together, you're_ bonded _, for better or for worse._

When she finally made her way home, it was past midnight. Everything was dark, the streetlights being her only guidance. Not even the stars offered her guidance. Somewhere in the sky, the twins laughed at her, pushed her away. _'You're not one of us.'_ Mocked her, ostracized her, pulling on her heartstrings.

The front door was unlocked. Her coat and shoes were where she'd left them, and she realized she'd been out bare-foot all this time.

It was empty. She could hear her parents upstairs, mother crying, father shushing her. But they were invisible. _Ghosts._ That was how she felt, walking up the staircase, listening to the sounds around her, making none herself. Ghostly, _empty_... Numb.

She'd never felt like this. She knew she was walking towards her bedroom, but she couldn't feel her legs move. Couldn't feel anything. Could hardly even think. Everything moved automatically, robotically, a faint logical voice in her head insisting she couldn't sleep outside, trusting that voice, exhaustion directing her towards her room, her bed...

The knob turned. The ghost made her first sound as the door clicked open. A subtle second sound as it separated from its frame. But the third sound wasn't from the ghost.

Blue. Blue eyes. Blue eyes widened in shock as he was caught red-handed, doing what? She wasn't sure.  
A guilty face. Tense body. In his hands, his backpack. Around him, clothes, like on those days when mother had them try everything on to figure out what was too small, what they could throw out... Everything sorted into messy, unorganized piles, like he'd emptied his entire drawer of clothes all over the room.

Feeling caught, his jaw locking, eyes becoming guarded, bracing himself.

"Len...? What are you doing?"

He was dressed fully, but differently than what he'd been wearing earlier that evening. A long sleeved maroon hoodie; dark jeans: _Not his pajamas_. A backpack; clothes strewn all over the room: _Packing_. Guarded stance; speechless, refusing to offer even the slightest excuse... _Escaping._

The panic grew in her eyes. She stared at him, mouth opening, words forming, failing, receding without sound.

He zipped his bag, swung it over his shoulder. Stared her down. "...It's fine. Just go to bed."

Her hands rose, as if to reach, dropped down, then back up to her face. Dropped down again. Feeling the need to do something, but not knowing what. "You're leaving?"

His eyes widened at her volume, panicked, head angling, trying to pick up any possible sound to indicate their parents had heard. Or, _her_ parents, really. He angrily jabbed a finger in front of his lips. "Shush!"

He was leaving. He was leaving. Len was leaving. Her twin brother, her best friend, he was leaving her. He was leaving. She wasn't good enough for him. He didn't care about her. He was abandoning her without a care in the world.

"Wh-What...?"

"I just need some time to think," Len mumbled, blond bangs falling into his eyes as he zipped up his hoodie. "It's fine. Don't worry."

Don't worry? _Don't worry?!_ "You're leaving me!" She finally took a step forward, her shock melting into anger. At her outburst, he finally looked at her, _really_ looked at her, dropping that cold front... Then his eyes flit to the door, checking for her parents. "You... You can't leave!"

"It's probably not for long," he grumbled, and tried to walk past her. She stepped into his way.

"I'm not letting you go!" she exclaimed, staring up at him. _When had he gotten so tall...?_ "S-So what if we're not twins! We're still family!"

The taboo subject. At its vocalisation, they both froze, tensed, let it sink in.

He looked at her. His blue eyes, similar to hers, they pleaded. She could imagine what he was feeling; his emotions mirrored her own. The fear, the confusion, the hurt, the betrayal... "I'm adopted, Rin," he said slowly. He cringed at the phrase, mouth twisting as though he'd bitten into something sour. "I'm adopted." He repeated it, much fainter, and his heart sank with the words. "We're not family, Rin. This is _your_ family. I..." He closed his eyes, wincing. "I don't even _have_ a family. I don't belong here. I don't belong here..." He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I have to go." His eyes opened and he stared at the girl, begged her. "I can't stay here right now."

It was like his life had been pronounced a lie. What else was false? Who could he trust? His entire identity had just been shattered, leaving him with the urging question: If he wasn't Len Kagamine, who _was_ he? Rin understood, really. If the roles were reversed, she might choose to do the same... or fantasize about it, perhaps. She wouldn't be brave enough to actually go out and seek the solitude she needed, and if Len were there, convincing her not to? She would be convinced. And she would stay home, sulking, wondering what could be, seeking answers that no one could give her.  
She didn't want that for him.

"I'm coming with you."

His eyes widened at her request. "What?" She couldn't be serious. And yet she stared up at him with those stubborn blue eyes... He felt his stomach clench. "No. No way. I'm not going on vacation, Rin."

"I'm going with you."

She couldn't be serious. Really couldn't. "I'm going alone."

"I'm not letting you leave me."

All his life, Len had obeyed his sister every whim. Indulged her, spoiled her. Sometimes, he wondered if he shouldn't. His father had talked to him about it once, explained that he was allowed to refuse her requests, and that spoiling her would only make her overly-dependent on others; she had to learn to work towards her own goals. Len had agreed and promised to try harder... but even so, one look from those big blue eyes and he'd crumble to her suggestions. He did everything to make her smile- and he swore sometimes she knew it.

All she had to do was put her foot down and make demands and he'd lose all motivation. If that didn't work, she'd look at him, pouting lips, heartbroken face - exactly the look she was making right now. And if that didn't work... well, he wasn't sure; he'd never gotten that far before.

"If you try to leave, I'll scream."

...Ah. So that's what came next. Threats... he hadn't realized she was even capable. He had to admit he was impressed.

He watched her cross her arms, chin lifting competitively. "Mom and dad are going to wake up and come out, and I'll tell them what you're planning on doing. You won't be able to leave at all." ...He wasn't reacting. He wasn't falling to her feet, submitting himself to her... What more could she do? She was desperate right now. If this didn't work... what did she have left? Could she use force? She wasn't strong enough! He'd leave, and she'd be powerless to stop him-...! "Either you bring me with you or you're not leaving at a-"

"Pack your bag. And be quick." He gave her a stern look. Part of him was miffed that she'd managed to convince him. Another was worried for her, perhaps the part that still cast her as his twin sister. And another, smallest bit, was relieved, somehow. He couldn't really describe it. "Not too much, you have to be able to carry it."

She didn't waste a moment.

It was strange, realizing she was suddenly leaving everything behind. She didn't have room for her favourite books, magazines, or CDs. Clothes were packed, but not her cute summer dresses that she'd been saving for warm weather. Layers, clothes that would keep her warm, were crammed instead. Her comb and toothbrush were allowed, but none of her citrus-smelling soaps. She didn't even have room for the photo album she'd wanted to bring, pictures filled with memories of when they'd been a happy family, oblivious, innocent, living such easy lives...

And now she was leaving that life behind. For a moment she hesitated: Exactly how long was Len planning to be away? Not... _forever_ , right?

But when she'd glance at him, tip-toeing through the house, occasionally shaking his head to get rid of his stupid, persistent thoughts... He needed her. _Maybe_. Or maybe she needed him. Either way, he couldn't be alone. _She wouldn't leave him alone._ They were in this together, as brother and sister... even if they weren't related by blood.

Looking up, she still couldn't see the twins in the sky. Without her charm to guide her, she was lost. She just had to trust him, trust Len would take care of her, depend on him like she always had... _even though he was a stranger now._

Wasn't he?

She couldn't think of that, not yet. Later, they'd find a time to talk about it, but right now...

She stared over her shoulder at the sight of their house, growing smaller and smaller in the distance. And then she looked at him, his face staring straight ahead, lips pressed in his focus.

 _He needed this._ If the focus helped distract him from his thoughts, then let him bring them to the edge of the world; she'd follow him wherever he needed to go.

 _He might have thought he was wrapped around my finger, but I trailed after him like a puppy; he held just as much power over me as I did over him. Maybe I shouldn't have followed this time, maybe I should have let him go. But... I kept having these nightmares where I'd watch him leave that night and never see him come back. I was terrified he'd make another life for himself and leave me behind._

 _ **I**_ _ **couldn't**_ _ **be left behind.**_

 _I couldn't survive without him to depend on._

It's ironic how, in the end, I was the one who walked away. Wasn't I? Or maybe we mutually drifted apart. Despite having sworn we'd always stay with each other no matter what, pinky swear and all.

"It's going to be okay, Rin. Don't worry." Saying it like he had even the slightest clue.

 _"Forever and ever, right?"_

 _"As long as we're together."_

It's funny how these things turn out.

* * *

 **January 25th, 2016; 11:16PM**

What an awkward ending. Oh well.

My final exams are this Friday, the 29th. I'm pretty stressed. Very stressed. First up is math, the subject I am least confident in... Math is so difficult! I must be using the wrong side of my brain; I'm far more capable of creativity, linguistics, design... In exchange, my mathematics and sciences are rather poor. Though I can't wait until biology, that's something I'm interested in...

...Huh? Was I supposed to talk about the story?

Hey, doesn't this seem a lot more serious than the original tale did? If I remember well, in the original, Rin found out by finding the certificate of adoption in a filing cabinet. Miriam explained the situation, the twins both separated to spend some alone time, but I think Rin was already asleep when she caught Len packing. It ended with Len agreeing to bring Rin along and then began next chapter already on the train. (That is, if my memory is working. Honestly, it's been so long since I've read it that this summary could be completely off.)

I find this version seems a lot more... _real_. (I feel like I've probably already described the remake this way several times, ahaha-) Like Len getting concerned over the volume of Rin's voice; after all, if their parents woke up, Len would have some explaining to do. Little details like that make this story different. Hmm.

Mm, I've been helping ChiioMajesty with a big project of hers. It's called 'yield', and it's this freaking monster of a huge two-shot. I've been helping the innocent darling beta it. I have to admit, it's not bad, so please, check it out if you get the chance! We've been working very hard to make it the best it can be. (Quite a challenge, consider Chiio's writing. :P Hahaha, just kidding!)

 **January 26** **th** **, 2016; 12:37PM**

I just learnt of Chii's goodbye. … _Oh._ I definitely wasn't expecting that one.

To commemorate, I wrote a special entry on my profile. Please read it; I'm trying to prove to an amazing girl that she's not as horrible as she thinks she is. To do that, I'm going to put some of my own horrors on display. Yes, for _free_. She's made a few really difficult confessions. What kind of rival would I be if I didn't try to write even _better_ confessions, right? ;)

…Please read it. Support her if you can. She's a good girl, and no one deserves to feel this way about themselves.

I wouldn't have even finished this chapter if she hadn't inspired me to do so.

* * *

 **Please review to let me know what you think! You're always my beloved.**


	4. Awakening

**Lost and Found**

 ****First, let us take a trip to the near past...****

(( **March 29th, 2016; 11:04 PM**

 _I must have finished this back in February and forgotten about it. Oops. ^^" Well, here I am now, so have no fret!_ ))

 ** _**fast forwards to the present**_**

 **November 11th, 2016; 12:22 AM**

...

So.

Apparently I'd already finished chapter 4 in February, forgot to upload it and wrote an author's note in March.

...

And then forgot about it again until eight months later.

You have every right to hate me. X'D

I really don't have much to say apart from the fact that I'm super sorry, and that the reason I found chapter 4 unuploaded is because I am about to start working on chapter 5. So, um, optimism? Positivity, yay? (Dodges tomatoes.)

On the bright side, at least you won't have to wait six months for chapter 5 to come out. I'll make it up to you, I promise. ;)

* * *

 **Chapter IV:  
** **Awakening**

* * *

Rin stared out the window. There wasn't much to see; grass, trees, apartments, tunnels, lots of tunnels. There wasn't much variety. The scene they were passing now looked just like the one they'd seen five minutes ago. Somehow, it all felt very bleak.

It was very silent, too. They'd been lucky enough to have grabbed the last train of the night, and most of the passengers were sleeping through the ride. Those that weren't sat reading, working, or daydreaming the way Rin was now.

She glanced at her company. He was slumped in his seat and staring at the ceiling, his blond hair hanging messily in his blue eyes. He looked as tired as she felt, but he wasn't sleeping. Like her, he was deep in thought.

She leaned against the red velvet and observed him. He really had such long lashes... and even though his lips were thinner than hers, they were really pink, weren't they? His chin had gotten a little sharper, like he was finally losing the baby fat in his cheeks. He was really handsome, though. Sometimes, he'd do or say something and she'd notice that about him, that he was really good-looking. She was proud of him. It wasn't like good looks were all that counted in a person, of course not, but it was an odd feeling to see the boy she'd grown up with look so adult... Though she'd always gotten really jealous if other girls had looked. Len was _her_ brother, so he had eyes for Rin only! No girl could get between that.

...Or at least, that was the way things _had_ been. Perhaps they'd be different now. After all, it wasn't like they were brother and sister anymore. The thought was like ripping off a bandaid; there was a sharp pain in her chest, throbbing, swelling, but she tried to ignore it. She couldn't think of those things right now. She had to think of anything, but that.

Feeling her stare, he looked over, those bright blue eyes meeting hers. "What?" he asked, but he didn't smile like he'd used to.

Without realizing it, she'd been expecting some sign of warmth. She was surprised at his dullness and all she managed was a "What?" in return.

He frowned, stared at her for a few more seconds, analyzing her. He was always good at that, reading her thoughts - but this time, she turned away, avoided him. She never did that normally; she usually encouraged him to focus on her, so he'd be able to solve whatever issue caused her grief. This time was different, she decided: How could Len solve her issue when the issue was him? Maybe that's why she turned away; maybe it was because she wouldn't let him read that part of her. Or maybe she just couldn't bear to look him in the eye anymore.

"...Hm." That was all he said. When she found the courage to glance over again, he was staring out the window. She wondered if she would regret having let that moment slip.

 **"Please standby as the doors are now opening. Please exit to your left..."**

Rin considered nudging him but hesitated, as was quickly becoming the usual. "Len, this is our stop."

His head rose quickly, as though he hadn't even realized they'd ceased moving. "Right," he said curtly, grabbing his backpack. He handed the other one to Rin, who whispered a small 'thanks'.

And then they stepped into a new world.

This was very different. This was huge. This place was... _shiny_. No matter which way they looked, they were surrounded by skyscrapers. Everything was impossibly tall, incredibly crowded and so oddly new. Of course they'd been traveling before- they'd gone to Hokkaido once, for example -they'd never truly stepped into Tokyo before. Rin's mother had kept promising that someday soon, maybe next year, they'd go for a weekend shopping trip and explore the sights, but the twins quickly realized why their relaxed parents didn't appreciate the bustle of the city.

But to Rin, it was enchanting. For a minute she forgot about everything and gaped at the store windows, the escarpments blending into the night sky, the spotlights illuminating the dark like giant stars, how many cars there were despite the late hour... "Len, look at that! We have that same store back at home, but the one here is so much bigger! Look, it has _two_ floors!"

He forced himself not to admire. If he were to look up and appreciate the sights, he'd want to learn more about them, see more, greedily touring a city he'd dreamed of. Right now was not the time. Besides, it was dark, it was dangerous... "This way." The word 'danger' made his skin prickle. He was regretting bringing Rin. Bringing danger upon himself, he could forgive. But what if he hurt Rin...? He tried not to think about it but it buzzed around the back of his brain, making him more and more anxious.

"...Where are we going?" He was pausing at every new turn, looking one way, then the next. Rin had a bad feeling he didn't know their destination either, was just taking guesses based on his instincts. And normally, that was fine, he had _good_ instincts, but now... Now, her trust was a little thinner. She wasn't sure what to expect anymore.

He finally stopped, staring straight ahead. "Here."

Rin struggled to see in the dark but all she could recognize in front of her was... a wall. "What?" She watched him slip his backpack off his shoulders, rummaging around for another sweater even though he already had a hoodie. Watched him slip it on, watched him gesture for her to do the same. Watched him crouch down against the wall, watched him curl up...

Oh no. No way.

...Really, she shouldn't have expected anything else, but... They'd taken one of their parents' credit cards, right? So surely they could afford- but then again, the money would run out soon, so...

His blue eyes were watching her carefully. "It's not like we have any other choice." He seemed so fine with this, so... _okay_... It raised goosebumps. How could he be so nonchalant about sleeping in an alley? Watching him, he seemed like someone who'd done this all his life, like it didn't bother him one bit- He cleared his throat. "Could you sit down?" Oh. So he _was_ embarrassed. Now he was averting her eyes, hiding his face. But... still...

She sat down beside him and for a while it was silent. She listened to the wind, the angry bleeping of late-night taxis, the meowling of a nearby cat. She looked up at the polluted sky (never mind Castor and Pollux, she couldn't see _any_ stars here), at the tall buildings. She focused on anything she could to avoid complaining. But she knew he could feel her shock. "I told you it wasn't going to be a vacation," he grumbled, still avoiding her gaze.

"I know you did." She tried for a smile. "It's fine, really." Silence. "Mom is going to worry, though..."

"About you, sure."

"Hm?" She leaned forward. "You too."

"Not really." He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not even related to her."

Oh. He brought it up. She realized when she bristled just how passionately she'd been avoiding the topic. "...Right. Well... I don't think that _really_ matters-"

"I'm not related to _you_ either. Don't tell me that doesn't matter."

It took her breath away. Hearing him say it - she knew she should protest, tell him she didn't care - but it _did_ matter. For years, they'd proudly held each other's hand, told the world they were a pair, an inseperable pair bonded by blood. There was something special about that, knowing they'd shared a womb together, been together since the zygote stage. From the moment they were conceived, they were together. And she'd been so proud. But it had all been a lie. They weren't special after all, just two people who'd held hands and tried to convince the world that they meant something. It was all a hoax.

He finally turned and looked at her and she could see how much her silence was hurting him. It hurt her too, but she couldn't say anything. She knew she had to speak - say _something!_ \- but she couldn't find the words to make it better. Nothing could make this better.

"It's fine." She nodded to the alley in a pathetic change of topic. "Really. I'll get used to it. It doesn't really bother me." She held her breath for his response.

"Mm." That was it. A pause, then, "You should try to sleep."

"You too."

"Mm."

In just one night, she'd become an only child. Now, she was homeless too. And for his sake, she had to pretend she liked it. She liked being homeless. No, really. Being homeless, it's quite... nice. It gives you a new outlook on life. The next time she passed a homeless person, she'd be sure to-...

...She was homeless. Never in a million years would she ever have seen this coming. Their family wasn't rich, but they _had_ been quite wealthy. And maybe Rin was just spoiled. But the thought that this would continue, that she'd sleep on the same cold ground tomorrow and the day after and the day after that... Had they made the right choice?

No, no, she couldn't think like that. This was for Len's sake. Besides, it would only be a few days, right? She could do this for Len. Because she cared about him. Right, yes. She'd do this for him.

It would only be a few days.

* * *

(( **March 29th, 2016; 11:07 PM**

Eek, how short. Back in the day, this would have been unsatisfying; I would have counted this as one scene and forced myself to include at least three more. We can't get under 3k words, deary me, that shall not do! But alas, things are different now. I am afraid that if I don't post this as it is, I might never finish this. I'm sorry if its length is not to your liking. Please understand. ^^"

Anyway. We now have a pair of adorable twin hobos. Isn't that cute? I would love to take in a cute pair of homeless Kagamines, awww. This here is something we never saw in the original L&F. Homeless? Pssh, they were too spoiled for that. The Kagamines would not settle for less than a suite in a 'cheap hotel' (though goodness knows what they considered 'cheap'). With this remake, I've been striving for realism. In real life, if you run away from home, you can't afford to live in even the cheapest of hotels. And so, therefore, the Kagamines in this story will have to learn to live on benches. Hm. I wonder how Rin will enjoy that? And Len, he seems so very chill about it now, but let me remind you that he has been as spoiled as she has; surely it won't take him very long to crack either. Not to mention, after his recent trauma, he's already under a lot of stress. Who will lose their mind first, do you think? :) I'd love to hear what you think. Review and let me know, 'kay? ;D ))

 _ ****and now to the future again****_

 **November 11th, 2016; 12:29 AM**

...I'm still sorry. X'D

I feel super bad about this. I'm going to upload this right away, okay? No more stalling! So please try to forgive me. OTL

Happy Rememberance Day, btw, if you happen to be Canadian. :)

Yes, I will start writing chapter 5 immediately, no excuses, I know. TTwTT I promise I'll have it finished before the New Year. I promise!

* * *

 **Reviews are always appreciated.**


End file.
